Melt-Banana with the Conformists and Corbeta Corbata

Monday, June 9; Galaxy

Many an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was spoiled when the characters stopped talking about the old matter-vs.-antimatter argument and instead wandered onto some planet to bore aliens nigh unto death with their endless prattling about the Prime Directive or something equally asinine. What could be more fascinating than debating theoretical physics while wearing a retro-futuristic unitard? What could be more fun than testing the theory behind matter vs. antimatter by actually acquiring some matter and rubbing it all dirty-dancing-like on some antimatter to find out whether the resulting explosion would stop the expansion of the universe and force everything to contract and regress to pre-Big Bang nothingness? That would make for excellent TV.

Well, Monday night we uncover the truth about what happens when matter and antimatter bump uglies: Japanese power-spazz-pop-kitchen sink-rock and/or roll band Melt-Banana (pictured) will be performing the role of Matter, and local pariah-messiah-electrifiah-gut-punchers the Conformists will, as ever, play the role of Antimatter. Imagine the violent range of emotions and terrible mood swings you will experience as you are battered senseless by the deadly negatron waves of the Conformists for an hour or so, only to be raked by the treble-shredding Agata and Yasuko O. guitar-and-vocal tandem. If that doesn't make your personal universe retract to a single point of reference faster than a 30-foot tape measure, try wearing a unitard.